I’ve got another crock pot wonder for y’all today! This Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup was pulled from my most-frequently-made-for-the-longest-span-of-time recipe file. In other words, it’s an oldie but a goodie and well worth the hype of being one of our all-time family favorites.

There are a thousand variations of taco-seasoned soup out there, and they go by a variety of names, from Taco Soup to Enchilada Soup to Tortilla Soup. I went with the latter title for mine, even though i do not purport this to be authentic Mexican tortilla soup. But I do feel that the crushed tortilla chip garnish is crucial to this soup’s appeal…so there you have it. 😉

Speaking of which, all of the suggested garnishes elevate this soup from good to great. Stirring in a dollop of sour cream gives the broth a creamy decadence. The tortilla chips add texture and crunch, and the avocado lends cool contrast. As for the grated cheddar? Well, what soup couldn’t be improved upon by cheese?!

If you’re a regular Five Heart Home reader and this soup seems strangely familiar to you, that’s probably because it has a lot of ingredients in common with my Slow Cooker Chicken & Black Bean Tacos. Both are effortless and delicious, but in completely different ways. As with the taco recipe, this soup is flavored with my zesty Homemade Taco Seasoning. I sometimes substitute other beans, such as pintos, depending on what I have in my pantry.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup is so straightforward to throw together, y’all. Just toss everything in the crock pot, shred the chicken shortly before serving, and dinner is done! It’s the perfect easy, hearty meal to enjoy all fall and winter long, and it’s particularly a winner if you have a crowd to feed. (Football watching party, anyone?) So serve it to rave reviews…just don’t forget those tasty toppings!

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This looks great! The only soup my husband really likes is actually chicken tortilla, but we buy it in cans. Homemade is always better than store bought, though. I’ve got to make this for him so he can experience the difference! Visiting from Create it Thursdays. =)

Thanks so much for stopping by, Natasha! If your hubby likes canned chicken tortilla soup, I think he will go crazy over this homemade version. And honestly, it doesn’t take that much longer to throw the ingredients in the crock pot than it does to heat up canned soup. 😉 Hope it’s a hit!

I made this yesterday and split it between 2 gallon freezer bags for when we’re up to our necks in home renovations. I did add the chicken broth. When I reheat it in my slow cooker should I add water? I’ve seen some recipes where it says to not add the water before freezing but to add it to the slow cooker with the frozen soup but I’ve also seen vice versa… does it make a difference lol? Thanks ahead of time 🙂

Hmmmm, Holly…so I just want to be sure I understand. You made this soup in the slow cooker, divided it between two bags to freeze, and then you will reheat it by putting the frozen lumps back in the slow cooker? Or will you thaw them at all first? I’ve never taken that approach, but I’m sure it will work just fine! I would think that if you made this recipe as directed and used the full amount of ingredients, additional water shouldn’t be necessary when you reheat it. Liquid doesn’t evaporate in the slow cooker, and the beans are already cooked so it’s not like they’ll be absorbing any of the liquid. But you can always add more water or broth at the end if you think the soup needs more liquid. Does that help at all? If I’m misunderstanding your question, please let me know and I’ll try to do a better job of answering it. 🙂 Have a great week and good luck with your home renovations!

Yep, that’s right. I’ve frozen leftover soup before from the crock pot in individual bags for lunches but I’ve never done a whole recipe. Part of me is just freaking out because I hope I’m doing all this right. Some people for some recipes include freezer directions and there pretty much the same thing and then some do funky things like tell me to add 1 cup water prior to freezing and then don’t add the other 2 cups water until you cook it and then some recipes don’t say. I’m kind of just going with it. Hopefully it all works out!

I think it should work just fine, Holly. If you feel like the soup needs more liquid after it defrosts, you can always add a bit more broth at that point…but it should reheat in the crock pot as-is without a problem. 🙂 You are smart to be thinking ahead and prepping dinners before the renovations begin!

Good morning from the Pacific Northwest. My quick questions are (1) do you think the soup turns out better using frozen chicken breasts vs fresh and (2) how long can you freeze soup? This one is next on my list. Thanks for your time.

Hi JoAnn! This soup should turn out great using fresh or frozen chicken breasts. Just be aware that the chicken will probably be cooked through and tender a bit sooner using fresh chicken breasts. I will tell you that I always use frozen chicken breasts when I make this, mainly because they’re convenient and I always have them on hand! But whatever you prefer should work just fine. Hope you enjoy this one, and have a happy Friday!

Hello! This recipe looks great! Quick question about the amount of chicken you’d suggest… I buy whole chicken breasts from a local butcher and they are usually much bigger than the breasts from the grocery store (plus I usually end up with some rib meat, etc.). Do you have a rough idea of how many pounds I should use for this recipe? I figured I’d rather ask than use too much or too little. Thanks a bunch!

Hi Allison! There’s definitely some wiggle room in this recipe, depending on how much chicken you prefer in your soup. But I’m estimating that I typically use 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of boneless chicken breasts in this soup. Hope that helps (and I apologize for my delayed reply…I’ve been sick and then all of my kids were sick and I’m finally catching up on comments)!